Poet’s Intuition

Sometimes I would see a small flock of masked lapwings (Vanellus miles) foraging on the grass around the bikeway and try to capture a pic or two of them but they would fly off screeching or something when I try to come closer . The bird calls aren’t very nice to begin with, almost irritating in comparison with other birdcalls.

However, I managed to get up close with a masked lapwing in a park the other day as this one stood its ground.

It’s easy to see why.

She had a chick and she gave me real loud alarming warning calls that probably meant “Don’t even think about it! ” in human terms . Although I did get a little closer but not too close – I’ve been rammed on my legs by a mother hen once when I picked up some chicks and that wasn’t very pleasant so I really don’t want to find what this lapwing would do.

This chick is rather cute though, don’t you think? Check out the fluffy stuff around its neck!

– The sky is overcast
With a continuous cloud of texture close,
Heavy and wan, all whitened by the Moon,
Which through that veil is indistinctly seen,
A dull, contracted circle, yielding light
So feebly spread, that not a shadow falls,
Chequering the ground–from rock, plant, tree, or tower.
At length a pleasant instantaneous gleam
Startles the pensive traveller while he treads
His lonesome path, with unobserving eye
Bent earthwards; he looks up–the clouds are split
Asunder,–and above his head he sees
The clear Moon, and the glory of the heavens.
There, in a black-blue vault she sails along,
Followed by multitudes of stars, that, small
And sharp, and bright, along the dark abyss
Drive as she drives: how fast they wheel away,
Yet vanish not!–the wind is in the tree,
But they are silent;–still they roll along
Immeasurably distant; and the vault,
Built round by those white clouds, enormous clouds,
Still deepens its unfathomable depth.
At length the Vision closes; and the mind,
Not undisturbed by the delight it feels,
Which slowly settles into peaceful calm,
Is left to muse upon the solemn scene.

When I was in primary school , every Monday morning , we would have assembly and the whole school would have to sing a few songs . One morning , we sang and and after we finished the music teacher asked, “Who’s that person with that voice?” Nobody owned up.

She was adamant and insisted every row to sing a line or two. She played the piano and went row by row to see who it was. It wasn’t very hard to pinpoint whoever it was. The children didn’t sing very eagerly (except that person.) And the next morning , when we were lining up outside to go into class she came up to me and asked me to join the choir. I said okay.Being naturally bashful as a kid, I didn’t apply to be in the choir… but that was how I got in!

A song the choir had to sing for a school play, loosely based on the Arabian Nights :

I was taking pics of trees in the Botanic Gardens when I came across these guys. Actually, I didn’t notice them at first, as I was busy taking pics of the tree they were sitting under, from a distance. Then when I came closer, I noticed they were gawking at me , like wondering what on earth is she doing? !… So I thought I ‘d get my own back. Hehehe. (Sorry guys if you happen to stumble across this post. All in good humour.)

Cute intellectual types, having a study group session in Spanish judging from the books on the table.

A lovely place to study or read a book. This is how the view looks like from where we were.

I love the way the mangrove tree grows slanting up from the river bank.

The famous landmark Storey bridge in the distance where they organize climbs to the top if you’re into that sort of thing.

It’s Spring in the Southern hemisphere but my memory still connotes this time of the year with Autumn.

A song I used to sing in primary school, practically all primary school kids in the UK would have sung this song at some point…

Autumn days, when the grass is jewelled
And the silk inside a chestnut shell.
Jet planes meeting in the air to be refuelled
All the things I love so well.
So I mustn’t forget…
No I mustn’t forget…
To say a great big thank you I mustn’t forget.

Some cropped shots I got of the scarlet honeyeater when I went birding with Wren and Birds Queensland (though they didn’t turn very well I’m afraid). I thought the burst of colour it represented was quite spectacular in contrast with the drab and dull bush environment it lives in. Definitely my fave bird that day!